Practice, Practice, Practice...

Practice makes perfect right?

I know my blog posts haven't been exactly regular lately but I am trying! I am still getting the hang of this, and luckily I really do enjoy blogging. Life has just been nuts with an erratic work schedule, and getting ready for back to school. It's my victory lap year at SMU so I have to make sure SL info is all set and my "Application for Graduation" is handed in.  The count down will be commencing soon for May 20, 2011 :)

I have been ok with keeping up with my exercise lately, not as frequent as I would like, but alright. I really feel that having such an erratic schedule impacts how often I go to the gym. That's part of the reason I am actually looking forward to going back to school, I will have the same schedule every week, even my work schedule will be a little more regular. Also, I have decided to go to spin class at the Tower twice a week after class to get some serious cardio in. I tried it once and I loved it! Two reasons why I should be able to *ahem* WILL be able to stick to it are 1)it is right after class and I will already be on campus, and 2) for most of the fall Brandon coaches football until 6 so even if we had plans I can still go to this before.

And in the spirit of making an effort to get serious about exercise, I figured it was about time to replace my super old sneakers (6 years old.. ancient in sneaker years... and talk about worn down!) with these new sneaks :)

My eats have been pretty darn good if I do say myself. I am still getting used to taking pictures of my meals, so I only have a few snapshots of what I have been eating. I am pleased to say only 2 chocolate bars have only managed to sneak their way into my belly (this is a huge improvement for me) and I blame that tempting monster of a Vending Machine at work.

I am striving not to "diet", but to just eat healthier. I am trying to eat things as close to their natural state as possible as a general rule. No crazy preservatives or additives I can't pronounce. One great find on my last grocery trip was this:

Vanilla Greek Yogurt - YUM!

And I also have been drinking a lot of this:

Loose Leaf Green Seduction Tea from David's Tea

I think I have found a Red Bull replacement. It tastes amazing and gives me enough of a pep to wake up me and keep me going. Plus its a healthier, no-crash pick me up. I am in love.


I have also been reading lots and lots of blogs, and finding some really great recipes I can't wait to try. One in particular is A Teenage Gourmet's Tomato Corn Pot Pie. I think it looks absolutely delish.

As of right now though, I just finished a crazy late supper of steak and sweet potatoe fries (devoured it way too fast to take a picture.. it wasn't pretty) and now I am going to curl up and watch an episode or two of Lost before bed. I'm in season 5, so I am almost done!

xox

Where to begin..

Vices. I have way too many, and they are all basically food. I don't smoke, don't drink excessively, and don't do any other substances either.

If I were to narrow it down, I could probably narrow it down to two things I have a hard time giving up - Red Bull and Sweets. I know neither of them are good for me (especially the Red Bull) but I just can't help myself. I blame the Red Bull addiction on my over-achieving self thinking that doing a full course load at SMU and working full time while trying to do extra-curriculars (such as the sorority) and maintain some kind of a social life was a good idea. And really, it's not just Red Bull. While Red Bull is my favorite, I have been known to drink Full Throttle, 5 Hour Energy, etc.

I kid you not, once after downing a 5 Hour Energy (which are so little you basically just take a shot of it) a friend said "I feel like I just witnessed something bad, like a junkie shooting themselves up or something". Yes, I was that far gone.

I have cut down substantially over the past few months, but I still have at least one or two a week. Currently I am trying to stop all together, and have been drinking a LOT of this yummy green tea I got from David's Tea as a replacement. It's called Green Seduction, and I love it. Hopefully in the next few weeks I will have cut energy drinks out completely.

As for sweets, I can't narrow it to just one type. I just get these cravings all the time for "something sweet". It really doesn't matter what it is sometimes, which can be fine as long as I have a lot of fruit on hand. When I really give in to my sweet cravings is at work or school when I have the temptation of vending machines all around me. I just really need to work on making sure I have lots of healthier alternatives readily available to keep me from those impulse sweets. It's a work in progress but I know I can do it!

That's it for now.. I plan on having another post up later but for now I have to go get ready for my day. I am borrowing my mum's car for the week while she is in Ontario and am going to possible run a few errands and go to yoga tonight.

Speaking of yoga, does anyone have any recommendations for a good DVD so I can do it at home?

There's something I need to confess...

I am famous for starting things and not finishing them.

For example, I started tennis a few years ago.. bought a racket and everything. It lasted the 8 weeks I went to the classes and I played maybe twice after they were over. I haven't touched it since. I tried hula hoop classes (which I did love!) and have been meaning to sign up for the level two class, but it has been over a year now. (In my defense though I still hula hoop while watching T.V. sometimes). I could go on and on with all kinds of examples, but I think you get the point.

I started this blog back in March with the intention of using this a great tool to hold myself accountable for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, keep track of my progress and find other people with similar goals. I still have those intentions, but I just let life get the best of me, and used it as an excuse. First it was moving, then it was exams, and then I told myself that once I was settled into working full time again I would finally get on track with this. As you can see, it didn't happen.

I am saying it today, I will be doing this more often. I mean it this time. I have ZERO reasons not to, and every reason to do it. I need to do this for my health. And unfortunately I have recently had a reminder about why this is so important for me to do. My Aunt just passed away about two weeks ago, and it was directly related to her health (aka obesity). Almost everyone on that side of the family has struggled with their weight and I don't want to even give myself a chance to become that far gone.

I have at least 20lbs to lose right now, and I am going to do it!